Online: softfat

Your other "non-Harley" Bike?

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  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    Let me tell you a Diavel and woman story GGUser260......
    2019, had the Victory bagger parked in Nambour near the shopping centre, had just done the week's grocery shopping and was loading stuff from the trolley into the saddlebags and trunk. Was early evening after work, the bikes satin black paint wasn't as scratched then and under the streetlights it looked pretty cool.
    A late 30s couple was walking up the footpath towards me, she stopped and started admiring the bike, stuff like what a lovely bike, so much room, that seat looks soo comfortable, ooh, so much legroom, and floorboards for the passenger, no need to sit with my knees jammed into my armpits, such a comfy seat. And a back rest!. I noticed the "my" parts and being a bit of a stirrer offered to let her try the passenger seat for size after I finished loading the shopping. 
    She turned and snarled at the bloke, Why didn't you get one of these rather than that bloody Diavel? He started to say something but she cut him off with And he knows how to go shopping too! then stomped off up the street leaving him looking a bit stunned. 
    I had a few words with him, apparently he'd bought a new Diavel 3 weeks before , he loved it but she hated it and after 2 rides refused to get on it.
    I watched him walk away, thinking to myself No nookey tonight for you fellah.

  • GGUser260
    GGUser260
    1 year ago
    Quoting obisteve on 15 Jun 2023 10:23 AMedited: 18 Jun 2023 12:26 AM

    Let me tell you a Diavel and woman story GGUser260......
    2019, had the Victory bagger parked in Nambour near the shopping centre, had just done the week's grocery shopping and was loading stuff from the trolley into the saddlebags and trunk. Was early evening after work, the bikes satin black paint wasn't as scratched then and under the streetlights it looked pretty cool.
    A late 30s couple was walking up the footpath towards me, she stopped and started admiring the bike, stuff like what a lovely bike, so much room, that seat looks soo comfortable, ooh, so much legroom, and floorboards for the passenger, no need to sit with my knees jammed into my armpits, such a comfy seat. And a back rest!. I noticed the "my" parts and being a bit of a stirrer offered to let her try the passenger seat for size after I finished loading the shopping. 
    She turned and snarled at the bloke, Why didn't you get one of these rather than that bloody Diavel? He started to say something but she cut him off with And he knows how to go shopping too! then stomped off up the street leaving him looking a bit stunned. 
    I had a few words with him, apparently he'd bought a new Diavel 3 weeks before , he loved it but she hated it and after 2 rides refused to get on it.
    I watched him walk away, thinking to myself No nookey tonight for you fellah.

    My ultra limited is staying with me (with similar attributes to your beloved Victory) so no problems there 
    The Diavel in your 2019 story was a V2 version not the V4 which only came out in 2023 .
    Here's a little clip of a journo at the Dubai press launch on the V4 Diavel (note the quickshifter and power wheelies) -who needs a pillion?
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    1 year ago
    You can see the traction control light working overtime exiting some of those bends....good video.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    Shit, I must be getting old, it doesn't do much for me. 
    Dunno if I "love" the Vic's, definitely do luv the rattly old shitbox Sporty, OK, I'm a perverse old bloke. I appreciate their reliability, they don't wet sump, don't wear cam chains or tensioners, don't vibrate excessively, the bagger has superb massive luggage capacity, great suspension as stock, 120mm wheel travel at back, 130 mm at frontso great on rough dirt, wonderful passenger comfort, if I spent $3k I could get another 25 hp out of it reliably, 117 barrels, cam, dyno and Maximus tune, but do I want to rock 120hp with 12" bars and 4" risers? Like the quirky 40's Sci fi, Flash Gordon cool, raygun Gothic style, but find myself thinking about more traditional rides, looking at Crossbones and Softail Slims, just a bit wary about Twin Cam B engines with what I think of as low kilometres on them.
    The second Vic is really just mobile spare parts, fun to ride being 60kg lighter then the bagger, but nowhere near as much cornering clearance or suspension comfort, even with a Progressive shock that gives 100mm of wheel travel compared to 75mm stock.

    Dunno what's going on with the post, it keeps generating lots of blank lines that I can't remove then throwing me out.

    Had some fun playing playing with another Obi Obi resident with a V4 1100 Tuono a few years back. He could always disappear into the distance going up Dulong curves, half the weight and twice the power, but going down the one lane dirt into Obi I could generally get past. I think it spooked him when I'd go past him on corner entrances, both wheels sliding slightly and the baggers first gen antilock clacking away loudly.

  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    1 year ago
    Got some grunt that thing, picks the front up no drama at speed, my kinda mono bike, all power no skill required lol
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    I needed to ride, to help forget that I turned 71 last weekend. Was gonna take the Sporty out, honest. Even got out the necessary tools out to pull its battery out of the mower and refit it.
    But then I had a good look at its back tyre, Michelin Commander 2 from 2010 with 1mm of tread left. I had been waiting 2 months on an ordered Avon SM mk II for my planned trip down through Louth and Tilpa. Now I've had to cancel the trip I should just throw a more common tyre on it.
    So on to the other trailbike to ride 30 km of dirt to run 5 km of steep beautiful narrow curvey bitumen that has about 20 kms of dirt at the other end of it, a real locals only road. After running up and down it a couple of times I was standing having a piss by the side of it, thinking about it only being locals only when a van loaded with Chinese tourists and bicycles came down the hill and stopped.


  • evo94
    evo94
    1 year ago
    haha probably never seen a biker take a piss on side of the road before.....did they break out the cameras?
    i guess the tourist trade is increasingly frequenting those bike trails around that area....
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    Quoting evo94 on 21 Jul 2023 09:06 PM

    haha probably never seen a biker take a piss on side of the road before.....did they break out the cameras?
    i guess the tourist trade is increasingly frequenting those bike trails around that area....

    A lot more bicycling tourists around in the last few years. A lot of cycling routes have been marked out of Nanango, as well as the big one on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. With the van full of Chinese, the driver spoke very good English, used to Oz customs too, reckoned he stopped to see if I was OK, and to confirm they were going the right way to reach Linville. Dunno if they took any photos. Who cares?
    The nice bit of bitumen is River Rd, goes between Mt Stanley and Bullcamp if anyone wants to ride it.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    One thing really noticeable in my last pics, particularly the one down in the valley, is just how different unfenced grazing country looks. The road reserve isn't choked up with long grass and regrowth, gives a lovely open country feel as you ride through it. Also dramatically increases your chances of survival if you come across a grass fire as you're riding.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    1 year ago
    Haven't got the phone call to bolt south yet so have been preparing the Victory.
    Oil and filter change, Penrite HPR 15 semi syn, NZ made Ryco 411 replacing the Chinese made K&N 198, both ends of the clutch cable cleaned and lubed with copper based antisieze, clutch adjusted afterwards. Clutch only adjusts on the cable length, get it too tight and it burns the clutch, get it right and the stock clutch will handle engine development up to 120 hp
    The motor in this Vic only has 32,000 kms, so not expecting trouble in the next 3200 on the trip given that the Vic bagger has had 140000 trouble free kms.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    11 months
    Had to go over to Caboolture to get some bits dug out of me. On the way back I discovered that the 15 km long cut through Mt Delaney and back out to the Dag has had its last km of dirt sealed.
    They've had good rain through there, really green.

  • obisteve
    obisteve
    11 months
    Shopping trip to town between storms, so took the Vic bagger, I know I can fit a weeks shopping in it. Stayed off the highways as much as possible, I prefer the back roads anyway.
    Had to run the highway for about 20 kms, no other bike traffic out, 34° and storms predicted must have kept others at home. Went past a big dead tree burning in a paddock about 50m from a house, must have been lightning strike from the storm. The residents would have had an interesting time. I've been 50m from a lightning strike, it's certainly an attention grabber. 
    Another storm was blowing in as I started back, got ahead of it, stopped and tried to get a pic of the many lighting strikes but just couldn't time it right.
    Got home without getting wet..

  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    11 months
    Like yourself it threw down here on the coast...rode the bike this morning but it was so fucking hot only lasted around a hour. Got home before the storm and sat with a beer or three in the pool and watched it roll in..."Lighting cracks over cane fields...this is Australia"
  • brucefxdl
    brucefxdl
    10 months
    for a while now i have been looking/thinkng of an adventure bike to broaden things abit,contenders where 650 vstom,klr650,dr650 and cf moto 800 which had a lot going for it except for country of origin.compared a lot of notes,online reviews and tests....then i learnt of 750 trans alp and did a test ride with a top price offered on the demo machine which is now home here,with a lot of support from the bride.yesterday our eldest son flew home from mackay for a few days and bought me birthday present in the fowm of a replica of my gs1000g that was bent a bit many years ago and still waiting for retoration,was a little emotional for a while as he found the bike and had it built to simliar lines.
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    10 months
    Your going to love your Tranny....getting out in the bush is a real good fun day and makes you realise some of the skills you have lost simply riding the tar everyday.
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    10 months
    That Suzi looks great, love them in line 4 naked bikes, every brand had offerings, all engine and headlight, classic look.
  • WideglidingNZ
    WideglidingNZ
    10 months
    Quoting paulybronco on 18 Jan 2024 10:05 PM

    Your going to love your Tranny....getting out in the bush is a real good fun day and makes you realise some of the skills you have lost simply riding the tar everyday.

    So you like them Tranny's Pauly lol
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    10 months
    Quoting paulybronco on 18 Jan 2024 10:05 PM

    Your going to love your Tranny....getting out in the bush is a real good fun day and makes you realise some of the skills you have lost simply riding the tar everyday.

    Quoting WideglidingNZ on 18 Jan 2024 11:22 PM

    So you like them Tranny's Pauly lol

    Ha Ha must be my "inclusive" work place training.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    8 months
    Rode down to the Goldie yesterday to hang out with a mate, crossed the border and rode around for a bit in the Mexican hills. 
    Then hit 30kms of grid lock on the way back. Im a bushy, It took a while for the old lane splitting and verge running skills and attack attitude to resurface.
    See the standard forged steel crash bars on my mates bagger? Skippy sticks his head near those and it's off and rolling down the road.

  • beaglebasher
    beaglebasher
    8 months
    I'd be going out around dusk and aiming for the roos with crash bars like that.

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